During World War II, fascist Spain strangely chose neutrality over joining the Axis powers, which were also fascist countries.
First of all, we can see that although Spain is also a fascist country, it is different from Germany, Italy, and Japan, and has certain degrees of differences, that is, it established fascist rule with the support of external forces such as Germany and Italy, unlike those countries, which were seized by their own fascists from the bottom up. Therefore, compared with Germany, Italy, and Japan, the dominance of the Spanish fascists in the country was not so stable, and they did not dare to make such a major national decision as entering the war easily.
Spain's reluctance to join the Axis powers in the war was also related to its own strength. Before Franco seized power in 1939, Spain experienced a three-year civil war, in which both the left-wing government forces and the right-wing fascists threw more than a million troops into the war, with half a million casualties, which was a huge trauma for Spain. The civil war destroyed a large number of public and livelihood buildings, the economy stagnated, prices soared, and the country was almost on the verge of collapse.
Franco, on the other hand, imposed a bloody dictatorship after seizing power, and in the years following the end of the civil war, Franco was said to have executed between 15,000 and 35,000 left-wing political prisoners, and the political situation in the country has been tense. To sum up, what the fascist government of Spain needed at this time was to consolidate its rule and develop its economy, not to rush into the warband. So during World War II, Spain adopted a policy of neutrality.
Throughout World War II, Spain adopted the so-called wall-riding tactic, which was left and right between the Allies and the Axis powers. At the beginning of the War, when the Axis powers asked it to enter the war, Franco sent a letter to Germany, asking them to produce evidence of the Axis's victory, otherwise Spain would not be able to enter the war. Hitler had no choice but to force Franco's actions, but to continue to persuade him. The Allies also spared no effort to win over Spain, because Spain's important position threatened the Allied forces' important maritime fulcrum Gibraltar, so Britain can be said to be fully bribed Spain, not only with the United States to buy its ore at a high price, but also to provide it with a large amount of economic assistance, contributing a lot to the stability of Spain's economic situation. Thanks to Franco's clever diplomacy, Spain benefited from both ends of World War II, and they had no need to bet on one end.
Franco's policy proved to be very successful, allowing Spain to continue its economic development despite the ruins of Europe. At the same time, due to Spain's neutrality, further assistance from the United States after the war also required Spain's economy to take off after the war, and Franco completely consolidated his position. Spain's history of World War II once again proves the famous saying of the West: "There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests." ”
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